Mayor Calls Timeout In Carved Bear Dispute

Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen says he has ''put the brakes on" city efforts to have a carved bear removed from the corner of Warren Avenue and Third Avenue in Cheyenne.

The bear is on a city right of way next to a home owned by Minnie Bravo Garris. The bear was carved by artist Forest Cunningham several years ago for Bravo Garris from a tree stump.

But city officials have viewed the carved bear as essentially a tree stump on public land that needs to be removed. It is one of five stumps located in the right of way area,

Mayor Kaysen says he put a stop to the city efforts to have the carving removed as soon as he learned of the situation on Monday. The mayor says he wants to take some time to gather more information on the situation and see if some kind of compromise can't be worked out. Kaysen notes the city has already granted extensions to Bravo Garris in dealing with the carved bear, adding ''we will continue to work with her''.

Kaysen says that speaking as a Cheyenne resident rather than the mayor 'I enjoy the bear as well". But he says he also has an oath of office that requires him to enforce city codes.

He says one possible solution might involve removing the four other tree stumps and working out some kind of compromise on the carved bear.

He also says that while people may have thought he knew about the bear dispute previous to local media coverage on the subject,  in fact it's not always possible for him to know everything that is happening in the city.